Casket placer



Nov. 30, 1937 s. A. WILLIAMS 2,100,582

GASKET PLACER Filed Jan. 22, 1936 5 Sheets-sheaf v1 Nov. 30, 1937.

S. A. WILLIAMS CASKET PLACER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 22; 1936 9&

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S. A. WILLIAMS CASKET PLACER Nov. 30, 1937.

Filed Jan. 22, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Nov. 30, 1937 r anasszUNETED STATES PATENT GFFEE CASKET PLACER Shepp A. Williams, Bristol, Va.Application January ZZ, 1936, Serial No. 60,318

17 Claims. (01. 2r-s2i This invention relates generally to burialapparatus, and more particularly to a device which may be attached toand removed from the ordinary grave lowering device, the function of myimprovements being supplemental to that of the ordinary grave loweringdevice to which .it is attached. The purpose of the present 'im-'provements is to render existing grave lowering apparatus more safe, andto provide for the proper and easy placing of the coffin upon saidlowering apparatus.

An object of the invention is to provide means whereby one end of thecoflin or casket may be placed in position over one end of the frame orshaft of the cofiin lowering apparatus, the coffin being then pushed orslid longitudinally of the grave into its proper position above thestraps ordinarily provided for supporting the coffin.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus supplementalto that of the ordinary belts which are provided for supporting thecofiin which will permit the coffin to be readily pushed or slidlongitudinally of the grave into position and to support the co-iiin inthis position above the level of the belts ordinarily provided until thelowering operation begins, whereupon the belts gradually take the loadfrom said apparatus as the casket is lowered into the grave.

A further object of the invention is to provide means forming a rigidsupport for the coflin as it is slid into position longitudinally of thegrave.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus whichperforms the above objects, and additionally acts as a safety. chain insuch manner as to support the coffin should one or both of the ordinarybelts provided for this purpose break during the lowering operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus including aseries of rollers, preferably longitudinally aligned. upon which thegrooves or runners on the underside of the casket may be rolled tothereby prevent the side movement of the casket while it is being slidlongitudinaliy of the grave into position above the straps upon which itis subsequently supported.

Finally, it is an object of the invention to provide a casket placerwhich accomplishes three 7 purposes, namely, to function as an ordinarycasket placer; to act as a safety chain, and to provide a side rail orshaft bracer which eliminates the jump of the casket when the loweringdevice is tripped.

Referring to the drawings:-

Figure 1 is a plan view of a device embodying my invention as attachedto agrave lowering de 1 Figure 2,is a longitudinal, vertical section ofi the device shownin Figure 1, taken on theline Figure 6 is a detailview-of one of the placer belts disconnected, and

' Figure '7'is an elevation partly in section, of the cofiin supportingrollers which are attached to the placer belts, and showing parts of theturnbuckles.

It has long beenrecognized that the placing by the pallbearers of thecoflin containing the deceased upon the belts of the ordinary coffinlowering device now being used during burial ceremonies, is a difficultoperation. For sometime past it has been usual to place the coffin onthese belts by carrying the coflin in a direction sidewise or transverseto the grave. This is ordinarily accomplished by those pallbearers onthat side of the coflin nearest the grave, placing their side on thebelts on the near side of the grave and going around to the far side toadjust the coflin as it is slid by the remainder of the pallbearers ontothe belts. This method is somewhat awkward and detracts from the dignityof the ceremony which includes the last rites of the deceased, and isattended withrmany difficulties.

Somewhat recently it has been proposed to provide rollers adjacent to ormounted on one of the ends or shafts of the grave" lowering de vice,such as shown at 20 in the patent to Canady, No. 1,828,391,,October 20,1931. Additional rollers have been placed so as to be supported by theside shafts. These latterrollers act to support or partially support thecoflin after it has been pushed or slid longitudinally of the grave intoposition above the straps. Now, when the side shafts of the gravelowering device are released so that the Weight of the coffin on thestraps turns said shafts and unwinds the straps, the shifting of theweight of the coflin from the rollers to the straps as the coffin isthus lowered,

causes a distinct jump or jar to the cofiin as the Weight of the coffinis shifted from these rollers and the arms supporting the same onto thebelts, thus to some extent marring the last rites which are in progressat this time.

With the device of the present invention, due to the provision of anumber of small rollers which engage in grooves or follow rails usuallyprovided on the bottom of each coffin, there is no tendency for the,coflin to slide sidewise as in the prior devices, while it is being slidlongitudinally of the grave. Moreover, due to the construction of mygrave placer, said placer operates to transfer the load from the graveplacer belts of this invention Without jar onto the ordinary beltsprovided for lowering the coffin.

The device of this invention may beused with prior Patent No. 1,916,941,patented July 4, 1933, although the present apparatus is not limited 7in its use to either of these improvements;

Referring to the drawings, the usual loweringimechanisrn may be of anytype whatever, such as is disclosed in my prior patent, above noted. Inthese lowering mechanisms there are provided bearing members indicatedby the numeral I in the several figures, which have been placed at thefour corners of the grave for the duration of the burial ceremoniesuntil the lowering operation has been performed. They are connected byshafts 2 and 2a which are usually fourinnumber, comprising two, one atthe head and one at the foot of the grave, these nonrotating shaftsbeing numbered 2a; and two, one

' on each side extending longitudinally of the ing the bolts 6.

grave and numbered 2. Belts 3 wound on the rotating shafts 2, are usedfor supporting and lowering the. coffin. There is a handle 4 which isconnected to the interior 'mechanism of one of the bearing members tocontrol the starting and stopping of the rotation of the shafts 2 in theordinary manner. This handle may or may not be provided with the remotecontrol mechanism, not shown, disclosed in my application, Serial No.57,834, above referred to. In order to support that end of the oofifinwhich is nearest to the lowering mechanism, as the coffin is brought upto the burial apparatus by the pallbearers, I have provided two metalstraps 5. These may be detached from one of the shafts 2a upon whichthey are mounted, by releas- Usually, however, they remain in place, asshown in Figure 1, after having once been attached to the loweringmechanism.

Each of these straps has a bearing portion 1, which supports a shaft 8.This shaft has a larger diametered portion located between the tworollers 9 to prevent sidewise movement of saidrollers' along the shaftand to hold them in' position, as shown in Figure 1, adjacent to therespective straps 5, so as to be in proper alignment at all times withother rollers located adjacent the ordinary lowering belts, whichrollers will hereinafter be described.

Rigidly mounted on each of the shafts 2 so as to turn therewith, are aplurality of drums hook into loops l2 on the endsof the shafts l3. Thesestraps are connected to each belt by rivets l5. The opposite ends of thebelt shafts are in screw-threaded engagement with upper turnbuckles it.By this arrangement, the placer belts and shafts may be tightened toadjust the apparatus for graves of different widths and to the propertension so as to support the rollers l7 and I8, in such manner that theywill remain above the horizontal level of the usual lowering belts 3 atthe time the coffin is run into position above the straps 3. Rollers l!are held in proper aligned position with the rollers 9 by suitablecollars to prevent longitudinal movement of said rollers along the linksis. By this construction, two of the rollers ll are held in properalignment with one of the rollers 9 to one side of the longitudinalcenter of the lowering mechanism, whilst the other two rollers ll areheld in proper alignment with the other roller 9 on the opposite side ofthe longitudinal center of the lowering mechanism, thereby insuring theproper location of the coflin-as' it is pushed or slid longitudinally ofthe grave into position above the said straps. The cofiin is preventedfrom moving sidewise as it is slid into position above the straps bythese rollers, particularly where the bottom or underside of the andplacer belt rollers during the operation of moving the coflin intoposition, and to support the coflin above the belts 3 prior to loweringthe same, I have provided the following device: L0- cated below theplacer belts and shafts is a lower turnbuckle l9 having screw-threadedrods 2?]. The oppositev ends of these rods are rigidly attached to platemembers 2i having upper horizontal flat portions 22 which support theplacer belts and lower curved portions 23.

Preferably integrallymounted on the rods 2!] are links 24. The upperportions of these links are'provided with eyes 25 which surround theshaft. It will thus be noticed that the lower turnbuckle constructionrigidly supports, by means of the plates, (after the turnbucklesl9 havebeen adjusted to bring the plates into tight engagementlwith the rolledup portions of belts i2 on the drums), the four placer belts, whilst thelinks 24'rigidly support the rollers I! and i8. In this manner, each ofthe two placer constructions' which include the two belts l2, and pairsof rollers H and I8, is supported at four points by the. lowerturnbuckle construction,

thereby providing a most rigid construction for supporting the coffin asit is rolled in place, and while in place. This is an important featureof my invention, as coflins are usually quite heavy, and including theweight of the deceased in the cofiin, often make an aggregate load offrom five hundred to one thousand pounds.

The lower turnbuckle construction l9 and 20 may be tightened up so thatthey form a rigid all-metal construction, extending below the supportingrollers, and supported by the drums If! through the medium of the rolledportions of the belts l2. An additional important function of the lowerturnbuckle construction is to prevent the shafts 2 from bowing inwardlyand to hold them straight when the load of the coffin is supported bythem.

Operation in Figure 3, and it is now desired to lower the coffin to theposition indicated in the lower dot ted lines of this figure, theoperating handle 4 isv actuated torelease the shafts and due to theweight of thecoffin the same will be lowered into the grave. As thisoperation takes place the plate members automatically slide off. of thewound belts i2 and pass below the drums. and both turnbuckle mechanismsmove downwardly. As they do so the load is gradually shifted from therollers I1 and I8 onto the regular belts 3. This shifting of the loadfrom the placer belts onto the belts 3 is accomplished by reason of thefact that the drums (between side flanges H),

are approximately one-half inch larger indiameter than the diameter ofthe shafts 2. Assuming that the number of turns of the placer beltsaround the drums is the same as the number of turns of the belts 3 aboutthe shafts 2, the placer belts and the rollers mounted thereon will movedownwardly at a faster rate than the belts 3. As this takes place theweight of the cofiin will be gradually shifted to the belts 3 until thecoffin assumes the position shown by dotted lines in Figure 3. At thispoint the placer belt rollers are in a horizontal plane below thatportion of the belt 3 upon which the cofiin now rests and now act assafety chains. At this point during the ceremonies the movement of thecoffin is stopped by the operating handle 4 as it is usual at this timeto strew flowers on the coffin whereupon the final prayers are said. Atthis point also, the upper and lower turnbuckle mechanisms and sectionsof the belts I2 are detached from other sections of said belts. This isaccomplished by unhooking the metal hooks 26 which at this time havebeen wound off of the drum [0. After this operation the handle 4 isagain moved to permit the belts 3 which now have assumed the entireload, to lower the coffin to its final resting place. It will be noticedthat up to this time the placer belts and rollers have been in aposition to take the load of the cofiin should one or both of the belts3 break.

The construction herein disclosed provides for the supporting of theupper turnbuckle and rollers by the lower rigid turnbuckle constructionat the time when the coffin is placed in proper position for lowering.They are so supported until moved into place above the open grave, butadditionally serves as a safety device for supporting the cofiin duringthe lowering operation and while the load of the coffin is being takenby the belts 3. It will further be appreciated that the presentinvention is directed to a device which will add to the solemnity of therites accorded the deceased, by the provision of the positive means forrigidly supporting the coflin in place and preventing any untowardaccident during these rites. In other words, the improvements; hereindescribed insure that during the final funeral ceremonies there can beno incident which will mar or detract from these ceremonies. Further, itwill be appreciated that it is comparatively easy forthe pallbearers toplace the coffin on'the rollers 9 and shift the same. intoproperposition 'above the belts 3. This is. ac complished without strain orextra effort on the. part of those who are carrying the casket towards.its final resting place;

I have illustrated and described one form of my invention, but it is tobe understood that such has been shown and described. for illustrativepurposes only, and that my invention is susceptible to forms other thanthat illustrated and described. I therefore desire to comprehend allmodifications of my invention. which may come within the scope of theappended'claims.

- What I claim is:-

1. In combination, a. casket lowering mech-- anism, including aplurality of rotatable shafts, belts mounted on said shafts for loweringthe coffin. to its final resting place, placer belts mounted on saidshafts for assuming the load of the coffin as it is moved into positionfor lower-- ing, and means for unwinding said placer belts at a fasterspeed when said shafts are rotated during the lowering operation.

2. In combination, a casket lowering mechanism, including a plurality ofrotatable shafts, belts mounted on said shafts for lowering. the;coffin. to its final resting place, placer belts mounted on said shaftsfor assuming the load of the coffin as it is moved into position forlowering, means for unwinding said placer belts at a faster speed whensaid shafts are rotated during the lowering operation, and means forrigidly supporting said placer belts prior to the lowering operation. g

3. In combination, a casket lowering mechanism, including a plurality ofrotatable shafts, belts mounted on said shafts for lowering the coffinto its final resting place, placer belts mounted on said. shafts forassuming the load of the coffin as it is moved into position forlowering, means for unwinding said placerv belts at a faster speed whensaid shafts are rotated during the lowering operation, and meanssupported on said shafts for rigidly supporting said placer belts priorto. the lowering operation,

4. In combination, a casket lowering mechanism, including a plurality ofrotatable shafts, belts mounted on said shafts, placer belts mounted onsaid shafts, rollers supported by said placer belts, and means forlowering said placer belts and rollers at a faster rate of speed thansaid 5. In combination, a casket lowering mechanism, including aplurality of rotatable shafts,

belts'mounted on said shafts, placer belts mounted on said shafts,rollers supported by said placer belts, means for lowering said placerbelts and rollers at a faster rate of speed than said first named beltsduringthe lowering operation, and means for rigidly supportingsaid-placer belts on said shafts and for preventing said shafts frombending prior to the lowering operation and whilst the coffin issupported thereby.

6. In combination, a casket lowering mechanism, including a. pluralityof rotatable shafts, belts mounted on said shafts and placer belts alsomounted on said shafts for supporting the coffin prior to the loweringoperation, rigid means located beneath said placer belts. for initiallysupporting said placer belts by means of said shafts, and means forautomatically releasing said rigid means during the lowering operation.

I 7. In combination, 'a casket lowering mechanism, including a pluralityof rotatable shafts, belts mounted on said shafts and placer belts alsomounted on said shafts for supporting the coflin prior to the loweringoperation, rigid means for initially supporting said placer belts bymeans of said shafts, and means for automatically releasing said rigidmeans during the lowering operation.

8. In combination, a casket lowering mechanism, including a plurality ofrotatable shafts, manual means for permitting or stopping the rotationof said shafts, a plurality of belts on said shafts, a plurality ofdrums on said shafts, placer belts wound on said drums, rollerssupported by said placerbelts, upper tu'rnbuckle mechanism for adjustingsaid rollers and placer belts, supporting mechanism for said rollers andplacer belts comprising lower turnbuckles, plates on the ends of saidturnbuckles having their side portions in frictional engagement with thewound portions of said placer belts and theupper portions of the said'plates having flattened portions for supporting said placer belts,means on said drums whereby said placer belts and rollers will;

be lowered at a faster speed than said belts first named so as to shiftthe load of the cofiin being lowered from said rollers onto said beltsfirst named.

9. In combination, a casket lowering mechanism, including a plurality ofrotatable shafts, means for operating said shafts, means on said shaftsfor supporting a cofifin during the lowering operation and additionalmeans mounted on said shafts and connecting the same for initiallyassuming the load of the coflin during the lowering operation, said 7additional means having means-for shifting the load as the coffin islowered to said second named means, said additional means having meansfor bracing said shafts prior to the lowering operation.

10. In combination, a casket lowering mechanism including a plurality ofrotatable shafts, means for operating said shafts, means on said shaftsfor supporting a coffin during the lowering operation and additionalmeans including a plurality of belts mountedon said shafts andconnecting the same for initially assuming the load of the coflin duringthe lowering operation, said additional means having means for shiftingthe load as the coffin is lowered to said second named means.

11. In combination, a casket lowering mechanism, including a pluralityof rotatable shafts, meansfor operating said shafts, means on saidshafts for supporting a coffin during the lowering operation andadditional means mounted on said shafts and connecting the same forinitially assuming the load of the coffin during the lowering operation,said additional means having -means for shifting the load as thecoffin'is lowered to said second named means, and rigid means supportedon said shafts for supporting said additional supporting means. 7

12. In combination, a casket lowering mechanism, including a pluralityof rotatable shafts, and means for supporting a coffin during the laterstages of the lowering foperatiommeans for initially supporting thecoffin including placer belts, means for adjusting said placer belts,said initial supporting means including automatic means for shifting theweight of the cofiin from said initial supporting means onto said cofiinsupporting means first mentioned.

13, In combination, a casket lowering mech anism, includinga pluralityof rotatable shafts,

means for supporting a 'cofiin during the later stages of the loweringoperation, initial means for supporting a cofiin when placed in positionforj lowering said initial means, including auto-' matic means forshifting the weight from said initial supporting means to saidsupporting means first mentioned as the lowering operation pro gresses,said initial means including a plurality of, rollers and adjustablemeans for moving certain of said rollers toward or away from other ofsaid rollers.

14. In combination, a casket lowering mechanism, including a pluralityof rotatable shafts, means for supporting a cofiin during the laterstages of the lowering operation, initial means for supporting a coflinwhen placed in position for lowering said initial mansQincludingautomatic means for shifting the weight from said initial supportingmeans to said supporting means first mentioned as the lowering operationprogresses, and rigid means located below said initial supporting meansfor supporting the same prior to the lowering operation, said initialmeans including a plurality of rollers and adjustable means for movingcertain of said rollers toward or away from other of said rollers.

15. In combination, a casket lowering mechanism, including a pluralityof rotatable shafts, means for lowering a coffin during the last stagesof the lowering operation and initial supporting means comprising aplurality of drums, belts on said drums, shafts on said belts androllers on said shafts, the diameter of said drums being greater thanthe diameter of said shafts whereby the weight of the coffin will beshifted from said rollers to said cofiin' supporting means first named.

16. In combination, a casket lowering mechanism, including a pluralityof rotatable shafts,

means for lowering a coifin during the last stages of the loweringoperation and initial supporting means comprising a plurality'of drums,belts on said drums, shafts on said belts and rollers on said shafts,the diameter of said drums being greater than the diameter of saidshafts whereby the weight of the coflin will be shifted from said 7rollers to said cofiin supporting means first named,

and rigid means for supporting said belts prior to the beginning of thelowering operation.

17. In combination, a casket lowering mechanism, including a pluralityof rotatable shafts, means for lowering a cofiin during the last stagescf the lowering operation and initial supporting means comprising aplurality of drums, belts on said drums, shafts on said belts androllers on said 7

